The Work at Home Entrepreneur Tips of the Trade

Updated on November 14, 2014

Working at Home: How to Make it Work

I recently wrote a book for Amazon Kindle called "The Work at Home Entrepreneur's Guide to Success." It encapsulated all of the important things I have learned about how to start and maintain a business at home, how to keep it going when things get tough, and what to do to make your dream of being a work-at-home entrepreneur work for you.

In the book, I talk about the good and the bad, how to start the business, what you will need, and how to keep going when the whole world is saying to jump ship. It is an inspiring look at the work-at-home entrepreneur's world, from a positive, yet realistic perspective, from a real life work-at-home entrepreneur tech nerd (me) who has been there, done that.

For those of you who didn't get the book, I have outlined a few ideas I wanted to share which should prove helpful if you need or want to work from home. This will apply to you whether you are an actual business owner or not. Some of you may just do odd jobs or freelance tasks for companies "on the side." Whatever the case, you want to make it work and you want your work-at-home journey to be as smooth as possible, and you want to make some real honest money doing it.

ABOUT MY BUSINESS

I have a degree in Radio-TV Mass Communications Production and Performance and am a self-taught computer guru. So my business is about multimedia creation (with professional high quality digital technology and software) and I am also an eBook author, audio book creator, voice over artist, director, and filmmaker. I am also an app developer for the Google Play, Apple (iOS), and Amazon markets. I am a creative NUT! I love this day of self-publishing because it allows me to publish anything and everything my creative brain comes up with. My business is different because it involves creativity to the nth extreme. So I am always looking for new software, technology, and tools which help me do my job better for my clients.

I have both local and global clients and I am also a writer so I have written for some famous magazines, such as Forbes, Prestige, and others like Terry Bradshaw, as well as some well known companies and start-ups. I write SEO (search engine optimized) copy with good, engaging content which increases traffic to my clients' websites. I am a 4 to 5-star writer on all sites I write for and am highly sought after.

Here are a few tips for the work-at-home professional which should help you, no matter what your situation:

Never give up. If you don't want to follow this tip, then there is no need to read the rest. First and foremost, you must decide if you want to do this or not. If you don't have the power to stick to it, it's not worth even trying, because you are defeated before you start. So, before you start ask yourself: am I willing to stick with this to the end?

Pool your resources. No man is an island, not even entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are solitary creatures, granted. And we think in terms of how we want to do things. But remember to learn from others, consider the resources you have to help you along the way, and use these. This includes people, services, and things which can help you do your job better.

Learn from those who went before. Even if you think you have the answers and the right way to do it, you can always learn from others. Learn from the mistakes of others, then plan a course of action that will work for you. Remember, every business is different and every entrepreneur is different. Use the strategies that will work for you in your business, not someone else's. And consider your market.

Always know your market and follow the money. Knowing who you are selling to is a big part of the battle. Consider the types of people who will be interested in your products or services and speak to them. remember, you're not trying to get the entire world to buy in, just about 5%. It was said that if you can get 5% of a niche market to be loyal to you, you'll be a millionaire. Go for it and forget the other 95%.

Remember that being an entrepreneur is not a "9 to 5" job. When you leave the workplace and decide to be a full-time entrepreneur, you are embarking on a 24/7 job. This means you must be available at the beck and call of your customers, even if it is 2am in the morning. Granted, not a lot of my writing or technology customers contact me at 2am for work, but you need to be flexible if they do. Handling customer emails and reports, orders, and questions are all a part of this and you need to be ready to handle it.

If you want to learn more, try the whole book which can be purchased from Amazon Kindle store. And remember, when you are a work-at-home entrepreneur, the sky's the limit. You are the captain of your own ship. There are some rough seas, but keep your eyes on the harbor. The journey makes it all worthwhile!

-Deborah L. Killion, Entrepreneur

Copyright Notice

Deb Killion is a well-known blogger and media content producer. All of her work including blog entries and posts are protected by copyright law. None of her work may be copied or reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission.